utilitarianism

noun

util·​i·​tar·​i·​an·​ism (ˌ)yü-ˌti-lə-ˈter-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm 

1

: a doctrine that the useful is the good and that the determining consideration of right conduct should be the usefulness of its consequences

specifically : a theory that the aim of action should be the largest possible balance of pleasure over pain or the greatest happiness of the greatest number

2

: utilitarian character, spirit, or quality

Examples of utilitarianism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The offering draws from the Bauhaus school’s philosophy, focusing on geometric discipline and utilitarianism. —Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025

The bombings were not, as many armchair critics have argued over the decades, a cheap form of ethical utilitarianism; Truman's decision to bomb was simply reflective of how real war-and-peace decisions must be made in the heat of the moment, when the stakes are the highest. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025

Even philosophies of meaning (Marxism, nationalism, utilitarianism) took on a mechanistic bent. —Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

Third Form Merryn Kelly’s Third Form blends progressive garment design and the everyday utilitarianism of a modern woman’s closet. —Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for utilitarianism

• antiquarianism
• congregationalism
• constitutionalism
• cosmopolitanism
• electromagnetism
• environmentalism
• epicureanism
• evangelicalism
• experimentalism
• hyperparathyroidism
• hypoparathyroidism
• individualism